WIEBO'S WAR theatrical engagement

After winning rave reviews at film festivals, David York’s powerful feature documentary Wiebo’s War opens at the Winnipeg Film Group's Cinematheque October 19.
Wiebo’s War tells the story of a man’s relentless struggle to protect his land and his family’s well-being in the face of gas industry interests.
The problems of Wiebo Ludwig and his family began when they discovered that their farm lay on top of one of the largest undeveloped fields of natural gas on the continent. Wells were drilled in close proximity to their Alberta home despite the family’s concerns over their potentially harmful impact. Soon after, livestock began to die, and the Ludwig family started experiencing health problems, including a series of miscarriages. After five years of being ignored by the oil and gas industry, and while others chose to accept the buyout offers that came their way, Ludwig decided to fight for his land and his family’s survival.
A campaign of barricaded roads and blown-up wells eventually resulted in Wiebo Ludwig’s arrest and conviction. And when a 16-year-old girl was fatally shot on the family farm in 1999, this unsolved tragedy thrust Ludwig’s fight with the industry further into the media spotlight. Almost a decade later, in an incident seemingly unrelated to Ludwig, a pipeline explodes in nearby BC, and the issues with the oil and gas industry remain unresolved.
This feature documentary by filmmaker David York is a nuanced portrait of a man driven to extremes, vilified by the media and alienated from his community. It raises the unsettling question: How far would you go to defend your family and your land?